"Collateral Damage"
and the Uncertainty of Afghanistan

Linda Panetta, founder and director of SOA Watch/NE, is a photojournalist
who uses her work to address US foreign policy and the plight of the poor.
She traveled to Afghanistan on a Global Exchange delegation in June 2002.
To view her photos and to read comprehensive articles on Afghanistan,
Colombia, and the School of the Americas, visit: www.soawne.org.

Linda Panetta

A few months ago, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel
to Afghanistan. It is a country of ancient beauty, yet one which has been laid to
ruin by recent wars, famine, drought, and right-wing extremism. From the
Soviet occupation, to the Taliban, to the recent US bombardments, millions of
people have died, and its culture and religion
have been systematically thwarted. For the Afghan people instability, uncertainty
and fear engulf almost every aspect of life.

Our group met with many survivors of the US bombings raids, some of
whom had lost as many as 16 family members. "Collateral damage, the follies of war
the War on Terrorism." Neither apologies, regrets, nor excuses can console
8-year old Amina. She was pulled from the rubble of her home following a US
attack in which her sisters, brothers, aunt,
uncle, cousins and her mother all died. Amina eventually identified the torn and
twisted remains of her mother by the tattered dress that covered the remaining
fragments of her body. Many of those wounded and killed in the assault died because
they responded to the cries of others following the initial US bombardment. As the
villagers attempted to pull the bodies from the rubble, the US warplane doubled back
to capitalize on the opportunity to create even greater carnage. Were the
misguided bombings a result of a US strike that
went terribly awry, or was it misleading information provided by a regional warlord
out for revenge? Regardless, the nearest Taliban forces were 10 kilometers away.

Security and stability is quite fleeting in Afghanistan, and is especially
complicated by US relations with many despotic warlords, some of whom the US
swindled into the Loya Jirga (meaning: Grand Council). They were provided seats in
the council, despite the fact that there had been consensus by the Afghan
leadership against their involvement. Many of
those brought in were the militants who wreaked havoc on civilians prior to and
during Taliban control. The imposition of the US on crucial decisions served to divert
discussion on many critical issues, and nearly resulted in the collapse of the Loya
Jirga. Originally created to bring tribal leaders together to draft a constitution that
would provide a more representational government, the end result of this year's
assembly was primarily limited to affirming the acting leader of Afghanistan and
American ally, Hamid Karzai, as the interim president.

We had the opportunity to meet with President Karzai's Chief of Staff,
Said Tayeb Jawad. At the meeting, Jawad asked that we give a brief introduction
of ourselves. I jokingly stated that I was with the State Department and followed with
a question concerning the warlords. Jawad responded that he knew that I wasn't
with the State Department because rather than using the term "warlord" I would
have said "regional commander." As with
the renaming of the School of the Americas, and so many other
examples, the US is attempting to assuage the fears of those
who have been tortured, abused and exploited by violent
and despotic men simply by changing their title.
The whitewashing will not wipe away the pain, bring
back the dead, nor garner the support that the US is
desperately seeking. Our efforts must be a continual
reminder to the government that their attempts to sweep
injustice and impunity under the rug will not be tolerated.

Kabul is currently the only city in Afghanistan which has maintained
peacekeeping forces. Yet United Nations officials, the
Karzai administration, aid groups and a growing number
of bipartisan lawmakers in Congress have urged the US
to expand international peacekeeping operations in
Afghanistan.The Bush administration says that an
expansion of "peacekeeping" would be unlikely. This,
despite the fact that large-scale reconstruction programs needing the
support of peacekeeping forces would give jobs to those who might otherwise
become allied with the Taliban for support. The Bush
administration needs to develop a new agenda for Afghanistan.
Pumping billions of dollars into arms-producing US corporations will prove to be a
failed attempt at eradicating a ubiquitous
"enemy." "Bombs away!" all in the name
of "democracy!" After all, isn't this the
American way?

The attacks of September 11 will be etched in our hearts and minds
forever. For many, the emotional pain endures, but the actual attacks ended on 9/11. In
retaliation, we _ the US _ have continually, for nearly one year, battered Afghanistan
with missiles and bombs. Each of the thousands of assaults raining down on
unsuspecting Afghan civilians are a "9/11"
in their eyes. For as we know, not only have Al Qaeda militants been targeted,
but wedding parties, clans of tribal leaders, de-mining camps, relief agencies,
schools, and families have also been targets.
Ironically though, without access to radio or TV, most are unaware that the
assaults are US-led. And still the suffering, maiming and killing ensues. But there
remains hope. And that hope begins in part with the politicians, in part with the
drastically modified role that the US government (hopefully) adopts, and most of all
it resides within us all.

We visited one of only two mental health hospitals in Afghanistan. We
met hundreds who were victims of US assaults. Their grief was overwhelming,
as were their stories. It had been months since Orpha had seen her husband. He
had been working in Pakistan raising money for his family. He arrived home just
four days before the US planes attacked his village, leveling their home. He along
with five of their children were killed. Despite six months which have passed since
her husband and children were killed, Orpha still collapses in overwhelming anguish
as she mourns for them. "It is God's
will," she declares. "I do not want revenge, I
do not hate Americans "

Her humble request is for a financial recompense to help sustain the basic
needs of her family. The alternative for her, like so many other widows, is begging on
the streets. The Washington Post (July 6, 2002) stated that "If American
forces prove to be responsible for the deaths of innocent people, compensation should
be paid and US commanders should give a public accounting of how and why
such a tragedy occurred." Aid agencies have estimated that an average of $10,000
per family would be sufficient compensation. Given the number of civilian deaths
that have been reported, the Boston Globe
cites that a fund of roughly $20 million for
this year _ approximately the incremental US cost of a day's fighting _
would cover the expenditures.

By the end of my visit to Afghanistan, I realized that the silted rooftops that
I thought I was seeing from the airplane as we approached Kabul, were not
rooftops at all. What I had seen were merely the foundations of former dwellings
which had been laid to ruin. Still, time and time again I was inspired by the hope
and resilience of this ancient society. Just as the US government has a responsibility
to the victims of 9/11, it too must take responsibility for the Afghan victims
of 10/17, 11/9, 3/16, 4/8, 6/25... The US may choose to silt over the destruction,
in hope that the desert will creep up and blanket the devastation. However,
what has been born from wars past and present is a breeding ground from which
terror and poverty, revenge and hate emerge to cultivate new terrorists (which in
turn serves to cultivate our fears, perpetuate our hatred and thus acts as a
convenient diversion for the US government).

Who are the targets / the enemy? The impetus of this war was apparently to
avenge the 9/11 attacks, but what are the current motives and gains? The Bush
administration, along with weapons manufacturers, have greatly capitalized on
this new bogeyman. From out of the closet where "communism" was laid
to rest is the "war on terrorism." But more than simply getting spooked,
thousands upon thousands are being displaced, maimed, raped, exploited and killed.
Will the US wage another hit and run as it has done in the past, or will it
take responsibility for its actions and lay the foundation for the seeds of
peace to be planted and nurtured? Ultimately, it seems, the answer lies with
the motives.